How Seahawks were able to steal Sam Darnold from Vikings in free agency

The Seattle Seahawks are playing in Super Bowl 60 against the New England Patriots, and they were able to get there thanks to a big win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship.

But, despite having a strong defense, they struggled to stop MVP Matthew Stafford. The reason the Seahawks won was Sam Darnold, the quarterback they signed less than a year ago, playing an incredible game to get them to the Super Bowl.

How did the Seahawks manage to steal Darnold from the Minnesota Vikings this past offseason? ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed how negotiations went, and the one advantage the Seahawks had that allowed them to steal Darnold from the Vikigns grasp.

How Seahawks stole Sam Darnold from Vikings

"A source described the Vikings' effort to re-sign Darnold as 'basically a one-year commitment,'" Fowler reports, "whereas Seattle offered more Year 2 money."

Thanks to the Vikings' passive approach with Darnold in free agency, the Seahawks were able to sign Darnold. A stronger contract, with more money for Darnold in the second year of his contract, was what got the Seahawks over the edge to sign Darnold.

The new Seahawks quarterback has a $27.5 million contract for the 2026 season that, thanks to a Super Bowl appearance, is all but certainly going to be picked up.

Darnold is 28 years old and coming off a strong year for the Seahawks. He had 4,048 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, a 67.7% completion percentage, a 14-3 record, a 99.1 passer rating, and a Pro Bowl nod, his second in the last two years.

More: How Seahawks built Super Bowl 60 roster, from Sam Darnold signing to 'Dark Side' defense

He did have 14 interceptions this season and 11 fumbles, which led the NFL. But his play was good enough, and with his NFC Championship performance, with 346 passing yards, three touchdowns, he has more than proven the contract is worth it.

The Vikings' passive approach with Darnold was thanks to a brutal two-game stretch for Darnold against the Detroit Lions and the Rams to close out the year in 2024 for the Vikings.

Those two games, combined with a looming J.J. McCarthy, who was picked early in the first round, made their QB decision a difficult one.

But now-fired Vikings GM Kwesi Odofo-Mensah's passive approach, offering less money in year 2 for Darnold, allowed the Seahawks to land their Pro Bowl QB, who's led them to the Super Bowl in just his first year with the team.

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